ABSTRACT
This study accessed the Naira redesign policy coping strategies among poultry farmers in Alimosho Local Government Area, Lagos state, Nigeria. The specific objectives were to: describe the Socioeconomic characteristics of poultry farmers in Alimosho Local Government Area of Lagos State, identify the routine management practices engaged in by the respondents, examine the respondents’ access to major poultry production inputs before and during the Naira redesign period, examine the respondents’ access to markets for sale of products before and during the Naira redesign period, identify the respondents’ coping strategies on the identified effects of Naira redesign, examine the constraints to the respondents’ coping ability during the Naira redesign period.
A three stage sampling procedure was used for a simple random selection of 120 poultry farmers from 6 communities in the local government for the study. Primary data were collected through the use of structured questionnaire designed in line with the specific objectives of the study. Data was analyzed using descriptive statistics such as frequency counts, percentages and mean scores as well as inferential statistics such as Pearson Moment Correlation (PPMC).
Results showed that more than half (56.1%) of the poultry farmers were male, married (78.9%) with mean age of 43 years. Sweeping the poultry house(100%), washing of equipments and the poultry house(100%), removal of fecal matter(100%), feeding the birds(100%), health checks(100%), observing the birds(100%) and also marketing of the products(100%) were the routine management practices most engaged in by the respondents. Results also shows that the various inputs for poultry production that were accessed before the redesign period became difficult to access as a result of the Naira redesign policy.The Naira redesign policy also affected the respondents’ access to various markets for the sale of products as the results showed that the most of the markets listed were accessed before the redesign with the most accessed being the local markets, while not being accessed during the redesign period. Using a functional account and formulation of feed was the coping strategy most used by the respondents and Limited access to capitalwas the most serious constraints that affected poultry farmers’ coping ability to the effects of the Naira redesign policy in the study area. The study therefore recommended that subsidies should be provided for poultry inputs while also attempting to minimize such input prices.
